Los Angeles, Oakland, and Sacramento are leading the charge with special menus and dining deals

Posted January 04

By John Godfrey

As California Restaurant Month works its way around the Golden State, here are seven more regions that will begin offering delectable deals at some top dining establishments. Click on any of the links below for more details.

Placer Celebrates Mandarins

For more than 125 years, the foothills of Placer County turn orange come late autumn as hundreds of Satsuma Mountain Mandarin trees bear their fruit. From Jan. 4 to 13, this Gold Country county will celebrate its first annual Placer Celebrates Mandarins restaurant week. Local restaurants will put their twist on the small citrus fruit, creating dishes that highlight the mandarin’s unique flavor profile—from salads and sauces to unique desserts. Fun fact: The Satsuma Mountain Mandarin provides natural decongestion relief for cold and allergy symptoms.

Cheeseburger Week in Pasadena

In 1924, a 16-year-old Pasadena fry cook named Lionel Sternberger changed the course of culinary history by serving the first burger covered in melted cheese at the Rite Spot. While the original name, the “Aristocrat Burger,” didn’t stick, the dish sure did. During Cheeseburger Week, Jan. 6–11, the city of Pasadena celebrates its delicious history with dozens of restaurants offering burger-centric meals and deals. For a truly burger-licous day, gather up your friends and head out for a cheeseburger crawl.

Santa Monica Restaurant Week

Head to the renowned Santa Monica Farmers Market at the beginning of the year and you’ll discover little cartons of gold. Persimmons are only in season for a short window of the winter, so hungry shoppers and local chefs rush to grab them before they’re gone. Celebrate the lovely pudding-textured fruit during Santa Monica Restaurant Week, from Jan. 7–13. Participating eateries will craft nutritious dishes, all centered around the persimmon. A nice bonus: You can stick to your healthy-eating resolution while celebrating the harvest in Santa Monica.

Taste Geyserville

Don’t let the three-block-long downtown fool you: Geyserville has a lot to offer when it comes to cuisine. The adorable little town in northern Sonoma County is hosting its first annual restaurant month experience over the course of 10 days. From Jan. 11 to 20, local eateries will serve up specials, sure to pair well with the area’s world-famous wines. Thanks to a deep agricultural tradition, Geyserville’s restaurants keep it super fresh, like the renowned Diavola Pizzeria & Salumeria, which earned the distinguished Snail of Approval by Slow Food International. On the grounds of Francis Ford Coppola’s iconic winery, the full-service RUSTIC, Francis’s Favorites, serves family-style Italian dishes—often with ingredients sourced from the on-site garden.

dine L.A.

The culinary scene in Los Angeles encompasses everything from the best fish tacos you’ve ever tasted hidden under a highway overpass to high-concept dining where food is treated as art. During dineL.A. from Jan. 11–25, you can try meals from more than 400 restaurants with specially priced menus for lunch and dinner. Grab lunch at the splurge-worthy destination you’ve been dying to try for just $15–$35 for a two-course meal. Find a three-course dinner at every level of fancy: Meals start at $29 and go up to $99 or more. Insider tip: Make a reservation ahead of time as spots often fill up fast.

Oakland Restaurant Week

More than 100 restaurants are getting in on the action during Oakland Restaurant Week, spanning two weekends from Jan. 11–20. Over the last decade, Oakland has garnered an exceptionally high level of gastronomical attention, building a reputation as one of the most exciting culinary destinations in the country. No matter what your budget, you can get a taste of what Oakland has to offer. Prix fixe lunch and dinner menus start at just $10.

Dine Downtown Sacramento

In 2018, Thrillist named Sacramento our country’s “best up-and-coming food city.” See what all the hype’s about during Dine Downtown. From Jan. 11 to 21, guests can enjoy three-course dinners for just $35 at more than 30 downtown restaurants. Known as the country’s Farm-to-Fork Capital, Sacramento is home to more than 8,000 acres of farmland and world-class chefs. Dine Downtown makes your decadent dinner taste all the more satisfying thanks to its donation program: One dollar from each meal goes to local social services and food literacy programs.